The tone has been set for what could be a very uncomfortable evening for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
30 minutes before the draft started here at Radio City Music Hall, Goodell came on the stage to introduce the incoming rookies in attendance. Goodell was greeted with thunderous boos, to which he smiled and repeatedly said, “I hear you.’
And then the booing kept going. And going. A chant of “We Want Football” broke out and Goodell continued to wait, continuing to say “I hear you” and “I do too” in response to the chant.
After introducing the players, Goodell asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the tornadoes that devastated Alabama on Wednesday. Even then, it was hard for Goodell to control the room.
The question now becomes whether the crowd just lets Goodell hear it early or whether they will keep it up. We suspect Goodell is in for a long night.